I leave for New York in a week! I can't believe that I'm FINALLY going to be able to scratch NYC off of my "must see" list... But now that it's almost here, I'm having a really tough time pinning down what I want to see and do while we're there. A couple friends have been helping me refine this list, and here's what we've come up with so far!
Central Park
There are about a thousand things I want to see in Central Park. Fortunately for me, Central Park has an awesome, comprehensive website, full of things to see and do, activities, and even a list of the trees and flowers you'll see there. Maybe I'll rent a bike so I can see more of the awesome things the park has to offer. Some of the things on my list? Belvedere Castle, the Azalea Pond, the Blockhouse, the Lake and the Loch and the Gill and the Pool Grotto, Harlem Meer, the Charles B. Stover "whisper" bench, Nutter's Battery Site, the Mall and Literary Walk, Strawberry Fields, and the Turtle Pond. And that's not even getting started on the bridges: the Oak Bridge, the Bow Bridge, the Gapstow Bridge, and the Balcony Bridge! Whew! Yeah, pretty sure I'm going to need an entire day to dedicate to the park.
Empire State Building
I can't wait to see the Empire State Building! I think it's a Sleepless In Seattle thing.
Grand Central
I love trains and train stations, and this one is simply too iconic to miss!
New York Public Library
Like my love of trains, my love of books goes WAY back. This one is a "don't miss" for me, even if it's just for a quick trip in to check out the architecture!
Top of the Rock
I want to get a good view of the NY skyline, and my friend recommended this location over the Empire State building because you can actually SEE the Empire State building with this view. Sounds good to me!
World Trade Memorial
When I was in DC in 2008 I visited the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, so I'm looking forward to seeing this one too. Well, not exactly "looking forward to" as much as "understanding the significance to our country and finding it crucial to visit."
Statue of Liberty
I would really like to at lease SEE the statue - I don't have to go on any long tour or anything, but it's such an American & New York staple!
Ellis Island
If we have time, I'd love to visit Ellis Island. 3 of 4 of my sets of great-grandparents came through Ellis Island, and I'd love to check it out.
Times Square
I have to see it, even if I don't plan on spending a bunch of time there!
Metropolitan Museum of Art
I'll be traveling with M, who is an art buff, so I can't imagine us missing this one!
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Even though I'm not Catholic (well, I was baptized Catholic but that's where it ended for me), I've always loved the peacefulness of Catholic churches. And they've usually got stunning architecture, so I'm looking forward to seeing this one.
5th Avenue & Tiffany & Co
Breakfast At Tiffany's is such a lovely movie, I just have to see Tiffany's! And though I probably won't do much shopping on 5th, it's another thing that you have to at lease see when you're in NY!
Serendipity 3
My love of chocolate and John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale make this a necessary stop for me! Frozen Hot Chocolate? Yum!
LOVE sculpture
Just because it seems so neat! And I'm ever the photographer - of course I need a photo of this! Also, I saw the one in Philly in 2008, so I should round out the collection, right?
See a Broadway show
Not sure if we'll be able to swing this one, due to work schedules for M, but we'd both like to see a Broadway show if it's possible! I'm thinking maybe Jersey Boys would be appropriate? At the very least, we'll walk through.
Check out a jazz club
M missed out on doing this last year, and I think it would be very cool too!
Check out a comedy club
Again, something I think would be pretty cool. Maybe this one that Trip Advisor recommends.
Food
Eat pizza. And hot dogs. And we'd like to have at least one really nice, fancy NEW YORK meal. Maybe at a jazz or comedy club?
Wow, that's SO much more than I thought it would be! I doubt we'll be able to do everything on this list in the 5 days that we're there, but maybe I'll be able to knock some of them out. Maybe a Hop On/Hop Off bus tour would help - some of these things are really spread out, so driving in between might help us out!
Regardless of what we end up seeing or not seeing, this is bound to be a pretty awesome trip!
Is there anything that I NEED to see that we missed on this list?
2 comments:
Personally I thought The Empire State Building was a pretty big letdown of all the tourist attractions. The glam of the movies is not there in person. After that LONG wait it's very small and crowded compared to what I had envisioned.
Great list of to do's, all very fine places to visit when in NYC.
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